Cristi Iftime’s “The Fear’s Artist” and Marius Olteanu’s “We Won’t Get Old Together” took top honors at Transilvania International Film Festival’s industry awards. Both Romanian films,part of Works in Progress program,shared first Transilvania HBO Award,which includes €30,000 ($34,400).
In Cluj this week,industry experts reviewed seven works in progress,picking these two . Jury had figures like Georges Goldenstern from Arte France Cinéma;Loreta Gandolfi from Festival Internacional de Cine de Cartagena de Indias; and Siarhei Samusevich,a programmer for HBO.
Olteanu’s drama unfolds amid pandemic chaos,a man trying to piece life back together. His second feature after “Monsters.,” which snagged Berlin’s Tagesspiegel Audience Award in 2019 . Details of Iftime’s “The Fear’s Artist” are hush-hush . But it's his first in nearly a decade since “Marita,”awarded at Karlovy Vary in 2017.
Beyond HBO Award,Transilvania Pitch Stop forum spotlighted other projects. Grand prize from Chainsaw Europe went to “Fathers” by Bulgaria’s Martin Iliev. Story of a young director facing life-threatening diagnosis,unearthing trauma with his father.
The TPS Development Award,thanks to Avanpost,was given to “Times New Roman” by Philip Sotnychenko. A Ukrainian artist reenacts political assassinations across Europe. CNC Moldova Award went to “Another Story About My Son” by Adrian Silișteanu. It follows a Roma leader assisting a film crew to recreate ethnic conflict that killed his son .
Connecting Cottbus CoCoLab: East-West Award went to Mara Crăcăleanu for “Sun Offspring” by Octavian Şaramet. Folk horror of lovers in a Romanian wellness community with twisted beliefs. Luno Award to “Decebal’s Wedding” by Matei Lucaci-Grünberg,a comedic look at a family trying to attend son’s wedding in New York .
In Drama Room,for original Romanian series, “Stay in School!” by Rodica Dominteanu took best series project. Creative residency at Bethlen-Haller Castle awarded to “The Story of a Lost Boy” by Gabriel Corneanu.
New Book to Screen program,linking authors with filmmakers,gave a one-year option with PRO TV to “Greu de pătruns în pădurea de mesteceni” by Ruxandra Burcescu. Book to Screen Award of €1,000 ($1,100) to “Tot ce i-am promis tatălui meu” by Ioana Maria Stăncescu. Alex. Leo Șerban Scholarships to Marius Papară for “Ibida” and Ana-Maria Comănescu for “Paradox.” Festival runs June 12-21 .
